ode to sincere friendship

Friendship bridges the road of life
carrying us over the river's strife
breaking bread with swelling love
for companion manna from skies above,
from school-yard to bone-yard
where flowers stand guard,
we live or die and sink or fly
by the way we meet our comrade's eye,
by the gifts we accept
and the warnings too...
a lonely Eden is a garden blue
only made verdant by exchanges true
by those we must leave
as redden and yellow our journey's leaves
driving us south with heavy feet
to fall in with those whose drifts we meet...
in whom we'll see strangers
and then our fond forgotten ones
coupled with unique imprint of each...
our burdens to share
our truths to teach